Lawn Bowls

Blind lawn bowlers use various techniques when bowling. Some bowl from a kneeling position similar to indoor bowls, some have a fixed stance and some bowl like sighted bowlers do by stepping out and delivering. Most totally blind bowlers like to bowl towards a voice to get the correct line. This involves the director standing between the bowler and the jack at a distance of about three metres from the mat and issuing voice commands. Visually impaired bowlers commonly like to be aligned up from behind the mat and then deliver the bowl. What technique is used depends on what type of vision impairment the bowler has and how confident they are in their own ability. Some other bowlers use a range of things to help align their body before delivery but apart from audio commands the only other aid for blind bowlers in competition bowls is a centre string running down the green from end to end. This enables the bowler to work out angles from the front of the mat in combination with their director.

New Zealand Blind Lawn Bowls Association is a Blind Sport New Zealand affiliated sporting group and lead blind and low vision lawn bowls nationally, while New Zealand’s top blind and low vision lawn bowlers regularly compete at events internationally, including World Championships.

New Zealand Blind Lawn Bowls Association boast a number of World Champions in their active membership.